Drone Flying in Norway - A Pilot Report

[spamgnome]

I just returned from a couple of weeks in Norway (I'm US-based), and I thought I'd provide my impressions on my experiences while navigating the drone rules. I'm hoping that someone who lives there will chime in an let me know how many rules, if any, I broke. I *think* I did everything by the book, but I'm not 100% on that.
Before I departed, I researched as much as I could on this forum as well as various Norwegian sites. In brief, I learned that I had to take an online course and exam, which I did. I think this may have been the easiest part of the process!
Once I got there (Bergen), I began to use an app called, NINOX Drone. It looked similar to 'Aloft', and at first it seemed that this would be the only app I needed to consult prior to conducting a flight. However, I quickly saw that just about all areas that I wanted to fly in outside of Bergen, were marked in red and labeled as "High Risk." Hmmm. I then consulted a site called www.safetofly.no. This seemed to have more info on various other hazards including NOTAMs, so using these 2 sites/apps together, I felt increasingly comfortable flying in the "red zones."
The NINOX app had a function called "Drone Plan," which seemed similar to a LAANC authorization. However, after opening about half dozen of these drone plans, the response I got was always something to the effect of, "We can't authorize this flight. Follow all the rules. Good luck, we're all counting on you." It seemed ominous, but I flew anyway, since it basically seemed that the crux of the message was, "We can't authorize the flight, but we're not prohibiting it, either."

I could go on, but my overall impression is that flying a drone in Norway was a tad more complex and somewhat less assured than here in the US. Again, I'm hoping that some of the Norwegian pilots on here will comment on how I might have done better.

 

[waynorth]

As a recreational pilot you don't need Ninox.
When flying in Norway the most important rule is no drone flying within 5 km from an airport without permission. If you do, they will find you and confiscate the drone and you will get a hefty fee. Norwegian airport authorities have a very sofisticated system for tracking drones.
And of course no flying near military installations, power plants and other "critical infrastructure".
Most national parks are also no-fly zones. And do not fly over city centres, Oslo is strictly forbidden.

 

[spamgnome]

As a recreational pilot you don't need Ninox.
When flying in Norway the most important rule is no drone flying within 5 km from an airport without permission. If you do, they will find you and confiscate the drone and you will get a hefty fee. Norwegian airport authorities have a very sofisticated system for tracking drones.
And of course no flying near military installations, power plants and other "critical infrastructure".
Most national parks are also no-fly zones. And do not fly over city centres, Oslo is strictly forbidden.

Well that's a lot simpler. Thanks. When you say "city center," what constitutes that? My first flight was actually in Bergen, but I stayed over water, but really only because that's where the subjects I wanted to film were. Are you saying that if I'd left the river, I would have been illegal?

 

[waynorth]

Well that's a lot simpler. Thanks. When you say "city center," what constitutes that? My first flight was actually in Bergen, but I stayed over water, but really only because that's where the subjects I wanted to film were. Are you saying that if I'd left the river, I would have been illegal?

City center is a bit unprecise, except for Oslo.
Flying over people is more precise, and the rules here depends on what category you are flying under:

A1: fly over people but not over assemblies of people
A2: fly close to people
A3: fly far from people

In A1 you may be allowed to fly over a city unless there is an assembly or crowd of people. This category is only for C0 or C1 labeled drones less than 250 grams.

 

[wco81]

City center is a bit unprecise, except for Oslo.
Flying over people is more precise, and the rules here depends on what category you are flying under:

A1: fly over people but not over assemblies of people
A2: fly close to people
A3: fly far from people

In A1 you may be allowed to fly over a city unless there is an assembly or crowd of people. This category is only for C0 or C1 labeled drones less than 250 grams.

Isn't C1 900 grams? If Norway is using EU rules that is?

Yeah I can't imagine it would be permitted over any good sized cities. We see lots of drone photos and videos over the Loften Islands of course. I don't know how big the villages are.

But the surrounding areas, they're not part of a national park of some kind? For instance, you see drone photos ABOVE Reinebringen.

Or drone photos taken from above Pulpit Rock, over the middle of the Lysefjord, you'd think would be in a national park?

 

[waynorth]

But the surrounding areas, they're not part of a national park of some kind? For instance, you see drone photos ABOVE Reinebringen.

There is a national park in Lofoten which is a no-fly zone, but Reine and Reinebringen is outside the park, so it is legal to fly there.
But close to Reine is a heavily visited place called Bunesstranda, or Bunes beach. This is within the national park. The same is the even more visited Kvalvika. So no flying is allowed there.
As for Pulpit Rock, there is a sign that says drones are not allowed, but the Norwegian air authorities confirms that you can fly there as long as you follow the general regulations for flying in Norway. The sign is not official and can be ignored.

 

[spamgnome]

As for Pulpit Rock, there is a sign that says drones are not allowed, but the Norwegian air authorities confirms that you can fly there as long as you follow the general regulations for flying in Norway. The sign is not official and can be ignored.

I definitely saw the sign at Pulpit Rock, and I may or may not have flown there. That said, in the US, entities cannot restrict the air in which we fly, but they CAN and do restrict where you can and cannot takeoff and land. Is this not the case in Norway?